Knitted fabric



Feb. 22, 1966 L. E. I-IIIBBERT, JR 3,236,069

KNITTED FABRIC Original Filed Nov. 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a 4 7 3 6 2 5 I 4 5 2 I A 8 FIG. 3. FIG. I.

a 4 D 7 3 s 2 28 5 l 4 2 Z 3 2 l i C 22 3 s ID'I'IQN 4 Fl G. 4. A FIG. 5.

INVENTOR.

LESLIE E. HIBBERT, Jr.

Feb. 22, 1966 L. E. PI-HBBERT, JR 3,236,069

KNITTED FABRI C Original Filed Nov. 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w (\l v a) .\\\\I (\l S rv 3 3 v o llll l l l l l l l I FIG. 6.

INVENTOR.

LESLIE E. HIBBERT, Jr.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,236,069 KNITTED FABRIC Leslie E. Hibhert, .lr., Laconia, N.H., assignor to Scott &

Williams, Incorporated, Laconia, N.H., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,743.

Divided and this application May 22, 1964, Ser.

1 Claim. (Cl. 66-169) This invention relates to knitting machines and methods and to the products thereof, and has particular reference to the knitting of ladies sheer stockings.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 239,743, filed November 23, 1962.

The patent to A. E. Page, No. 2,501,353, dated March 21, 1950, relates to ladies sheer stockings containing mesh patterns produced by the incorporation of repeats of special stitches, e.g. tuck stitches, in which the mesh pattern is substantially invisible, as such, when the stockings are worn and viewed from a distance of more than two or three feet. The pattern formation thus produced has several advantages:

A fabric is produced which will not run downwardly for more than a limited number of courses.

There is a reduction of visibility, when the stocking is being worn, of streaks or shadows caused by imperfection in the stitch-forming elements or their operations, as compared with the appearance of such streaks or shadows if plain knitting was effected. This result is due to the fact that even though the stitch formation itself is substantially invisible, as mentioned above, the pattern of recurrence of imperfect stitches is broken up.

Stockings produced in accordance with said patent have substantially less sheen than stockings knit with plain stitches from yarn of similar weight, the reduction of sheen being particularly noticeable when a monofilament yarn such as nylon is used.

There has recently come into use the knitting of fourfeed tubes for the formation of ladies sheer stockings, the tubes being knit without the formation of heel and toe pockets, shaping being effected by boarding, under heated conditions, the tubes which are closed at toe portions thereof, the shaping being accomplishable due to the thermoplastic properties of nylon or similar synthetic yarns. There is thus achieved the advantage of lower cost due to the greatly increased rate of knitting at four feeds.

The incorporation in such four-feed stockings of re peated mesh patterns as disclosed in said A. E. Page patent is, however, a matter involving special problems. While a mesh of this type is practically invisible, as stated, nevertheless any break in the continuity of pattern repeats is easily discernible, creating a flaw in the desired appearance which is of a smoothly continuous stocking. The reason for the occurrence of such a flaw will be understood from more detailed discussion hereafter, but it may be stated generally that it is due to the fact that the minimum satisfactory repeat of pattern in the direction of the wales involves six courses whereas the knitting occurs helically with an advance of four courses in each round of knitting.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide stockings and machines and methods for producing the same in which the continuity of repetition of the stitch patterns is not interrupted. This involves certain characteristics of patterns themselves and the utilization of particular numbers of needles in the needle cylinder to achieve the desired ends.

The desired ends require that patterning to provide special stitches should occur at two of the feeds of the 3,236,069 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 machine, the other two feeds producing plain stitches so that in the finished fabric every alternate course contains the special stitches and the intermediate courses contain plain stitches, at least from the standpoint of formation, though such stitches as tuck stitches necessarily involve special paths of the yarns in adjacent courses. Accordingly, in the machine, needle selection for the formation of special stitches is effected at two points associated with alternate feeds.

The attainment of the foregoing general object of the invention as well as other objects particularly relating to details of construction and operation will become apparent with the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagram showing a portion of a fabric produced in accordance with the invention and explanatory of the principles involved;

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are similar diagrams showing the application of the invention to different repeats and types of repeats of the mesh pattern;

FIGURE 5 is a similar diagram but showing, for further explanation of the invention, a type of mesh pattern which cannot be produced in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a development of the inside of the cams controlling needles, intermediate jacks and pattern jacks together with other elements involved in tuck stitch formation in accordance with the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the pattern controlling mechanisms.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, there is diagrammed therein at 2 a portion of a fabric carrying a repeated mesh pattern which is suitable for achievement of the ends set forth in said A. E. Page patent. Each small square in this diagram represents a stitch, the horizontal rows of small squares indicating courses, and the vertical columns indicating wales. The Xs represent special stitches, while the unmarked small squares indicate plain stitches. It will be understood that the plain stitches adjacent to the special stitches are usually distorted as well understood in the art, but of primary significance is the matter of formation of special stitch arrangements at intervals indicated in the diagram. As more fully discussed hereafter, the special stitches may be tuck stitches, welt or held stitches, or float stitches. For the sake of simplicity of description, however, tuck stitches will be generally referred to as illustrative.

Examination of FIGURE 1 will reveal that the repeat of the special stitch pattern therein is six wales wide and twelve courses long, the pattern extending completely around the circumference of the fabric. A repeat may be outlined quite arbitrarily in the fabric, and one such repeat is outlined in the rectangle 4. It will be noted that in this repeat (and true of any other arbitrarily taken repeat) there is only one special stitch in each wale and only one special stitch in each of alternate courses,

there being, accordingly, six such special stitches in each repeat of the pattern. Further, the special stitches are disposed more or less uniformly, FIGURE 1 illustrating a disposition of the special stitches in a repeat which is somewhat more elaborate than a simpler arrangement which may be used and in which the stitches might be arranged diagonally across the repeat in either a righthand or left-hand direction, i.e. with the direction of cylinder rotation or opposite the direction of cylinder rotation, the direction of rotation being indicated by the arrow at the top of this figure.

Let it be assumed for the purpose of the repeat designated 4 that the vertical line A represents a datum with needles (or wales formed by the needles) numbered in sequence from the left of this line. Also let it be assumed that the lowermost course in the repeat 4 is considered course 1 as shown. Passing around the fabric from the line A toward the left and then approaching the line A from the right, it will be evident that course 1 will approach the line A, due to the helical nature of the knitting, to meet the line A with continuation thereat as course 5, it being assumed that the courses nominally begin at the left of the line A with the needle or wale numbered 1.

To provide repetition of the pattern repeat 4, it is evident that this same repeat, effected by the pattern control of the machine, would reappear as indicated at 6, so far as machine operation was concerned. But assume, first, that the needles (wales) represented between the line A and the line B, the latter being the left-hand boundary of repeat 6, were omitted, as would be the case if the number of needles was a multiple of the walewise width of the repeat. In FIGURE 1 this condition would arise if there were 396 needles in the machine. It will be evident that under these conditions there would be a break in the continuity of the pattern considering the fabric as a whole. For example, note that in the course numbered 5 at the left of the figure the special stitch in the repeat 4 would occur in the fourth wale from the special stitch in the same actual course in repeat 6, whereas the continuity of the pattern requires the special stitches to occur in every sixth wale along a course. It will be seen that by adding two needles numbered 397 and 398 and continuing the patterning through these needles the resulting fabric will be completely uniform despite the fact that the repeat 6 is raised 4 courses above the repeat 4.

The criteria for accomplishing this result will now become clear. The fabric itself must have the following characteristics (a) It has a pattern extending completely around its circumference which has a repeat it wales wide and 211 courses long (in the particular illustration n is 6);

(b) In each wale of a repeat there is only one of the special stitch formations;

(c) In each patterned course of a repeat there is only one of the special stitch formations; and

(d) Considering any chosen repeat (e.g., repeat 4), the fabric has an identical repeat (e.g., repeat 6) displaced from the chosen repeat by four courses in a walewise direction and displaced from the chosen repeat in a coursewise direction by a number of wales less than n.

In order to maintain the continuity of the pattern, the machine must then have a number of needles equal to an integral multiple of 11 plus the last mentioned number of wales spacing the two stated repeats.

It may be here noted, though mathematically trivial, that it can equally well be considered that the number of needles may be viewed in the specific example shown in FIG. 1, as two more than an integral multiple of the width of the repeat or as four less than an integral multiple of the repeat.

Further consideration will show that if the pattern was the mirror image of that illustrated in FIG. 1, i.e. oppo sitely disposed with respect to the direction of cylinder rotation, the specification of the number of needles with respect to the multiple of the width of the repeat would be four needles added or, trivially, two needles subtracted.

The only reason for indicating a number of needles near 400 is because machines for knitting sheer ladies hosiery have generally a number of needles running from around 400 upwardly. The basic 396 needles indicated could just as well be any other multiple of six, given a desired repeat which is six wales wide.

It may be here noted that the total number of needles arrived at is desirably even because this permits conventional makeup on the machine which involves the feeding of yarn initially to alternate needles. However, makeup may very well be nonconventional in the sense that if the number of needles is odd makeup may be effected even with a break in an alternate needle array, as is presently 4 done in the use of cylinders having odd numbers of needles in two-feed machines.

Other pattern repeats than that illustrated in FIGURE 1 may be used in the case of 6 x 12 repeats, but in such cases, depending on the particular pattern, there may be other than two needles to be added to a multiple of the number, 6, of wales in the repeat. In any event, the criterion stated above will hold, the added number of needles being dependent on the relationship of repeats as stated.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the application of the invention to a fabric 8 in which the pattern repeats are five wales wide and ten courses long. In this case the relationship of an arbitrary repeat 10 to another repeat 12, four courses higher, is basically the same as the relationship between the repeats 4 and 6 previously discussed, except that the needles added over the multiple of five are four in number as indicated by the needles or wales numbered 401 to 404, inclusive, the arbitrary line A for the count of needles and the initiation of courses corresponding to A of FIG- URE 1, while B corresponds to B. It will be noted that the basic multiple of five used in FIGURE 2 is even, i.e. 400, giving rise, with the addition of four needles, to an even number of needles. Equally acceptable, though requiring nonconventional makeup in the sense referred to above, would be an odd basic multiple of five, such as 395, to which the addition of four needles would result in a 399-needle cylinder.

FIGURE 3 similarly indicates the application of the invention to a fabric 14 in which the repeat of pattern is four wales wide and eight courses long. Repeats related as previously discussed are indicated at 16 and 18, the boundary datum lines A and B corresponding respectively to A and B of FIGURE 1. It may be. incidentally remarked that the type of repeat shown in this figure is that which is quite comonly used in single feed fabric, the tuck or other special stitches running diagonally either opposed to the direction of cylinder rotation, or in the same direction.

FIGURE 4 similarly indicates the application of the invention to a fabric 20 in which the repeats of pattern are three wales wide and six courses long. The related repeats here are 22 and 24, and it will be noted that they are spaced by a single wale or needle between the datum lines A and B in this case the number of needles being 400 which is a standard number in the art. This is possible because 399 is a multiple of three and there is required only a single added needle.

Because of the examples given, there might be raised an impression that the invention was quite generally applicable irrespective of the nature of the pattern involved in the fabric, and it will serve to aid in understanding of the invention if reference is made to a fabric to the production of which the invention is not applicable. Such a fabric is illustrated at 26 in FIGURE 5. The fabric there shown may be considered a hypothetical one in which, merely as viewed diagrammatically as a possibly desired fabric, there are repeats which are four wales wide and eight courses long, an arbitrary repeat being indicated at 28. It will be noted that this repeat is of the type in which there is a single special stitch in each wale. and a single special stitch in each of alternate courses.

But now consider, starting with the datum line A the set of courses 1 to 4 running from the left of this line but displaced four courses in the direction of knitting progress as they approach the line A from the right at the end of a continuous round of knitting, such courses being between the lines C and D and continuing as courses 5 to 8. It will be evident that it is not possible to find between these lines any repeat corresponding to that shown at 28. It is accordingly not possible to add needles to produce this theoretical fabric. Any attempts to do so would result in a break in the continuity of the pattern. If to the left of the line A the pattern controls in the machine produce repeats such as 28 they would necessarily produce the same repeats between C and D, but it will be 5 noted that the actual repeats shown (which would be necessary for continuity of the pattern) are mirror images of the repeat 28. Thus the criterion for the invention set forth above is violated.

Various types of circular knitting machines may be used for the practice of the invention if provided in generally conventional fashions with selecting means for the production of special stitches. The machines may be of rotating cylinder or stationary cylinder type, and may be supplied with the usual devices for the formation of welts, heels and/or toes. For illustrative purposes, however, there will be now described the mechanism of a fourfeed machine of the rotary cylinder type which, in its simple form, may he used to produce simple tubular fabric which may be treated in accordance with regular practices to provide stockings or other articles. It will, of course, be evident that the machine may be one of large diameter for the production of fabrics to be used for other wear or other purposes.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 6, the slotted cylinder 30 carries needles 32 which cooperate with sinkers 34 in usual fashion. The needles are provided with the usual controlling butts 40 operated by cams. Beneath each needle in its slot is an intermediate jack 36 provided with a butt 42, while below this there is provided a pattern jack 38 having an upper butt 44, selectively removable pattern butts 46 and a lower butt 48 below which there is provided the notch 50. The pattern jacks are of rocking type well-known in the art. For the production of a tubular fabric without special structural matters such as pockets, or the like, the butts on all of the needles may be the same length, this being also true of the butts on the intermediate jacks. All selections required may be made through the utilization of the pattern butts 46. This may include the assignment of one level of these butts for the makeup in conventional fashion.

The four successive feeds of the machine are indicated by the respective numerals 52, 54, 56 and 58. These feeds include the conventional throat plates 60, 62, 64 and 66, with which are associated the yarn-feeding fingers 68, 70, 72 and 74. At each of the feeds there may be more than one finger with provision for selecting the fingers into action if yarn changes are required or if the special stitch formations are to involve the simultaneous feeding at one or more of the feeds of multiple yarns as for the effecting of pattern production by reverse plating or selective floating. Substitution of yarns may also be desirable if heavier weight welts are to be produced on for reinforced areas of the fabric. As will become obvious the particular special stitch formations to which the invention relates may be of numerous types including the production of special reverse plated stitches, selective floating of one of two yarns fed at a feed, the production of floats in fabric made with a single yarn at each feed, the production of tuck stitches, or the like. The particular needle manipulations or other operations for these purposes are well known, and for purposes of illustration of the application of the invention the following description will be confined to formation of patterns by selective tucking.

The needles rotate relative to the cams from right to left as viewed in FIGURE 6. Stitch cams 76, 78, 80 and 82 are provided at the respective feeds, each preceded by a lowering cam 84, 86, 88 and 90, respectively.

Following stitch drawing movements effected by cam 76 at the first feed 52, the needles are raised by successive cams indicated at 92 to tuck height. Similar rises at the other feeds are provided by earns 94, 96 and 98. Following the rise to tuck height at the first feed, all of the needles are cleared by the action of clearing cam 100, and a corresponding clearing action occurs following the third feed by the rise of the needles over clearing cam 104. Guard cams 102 and 106 are provided following the second and fourth feeds to insure that the needles are no lower than tuck level.

Selective clearing of needles is provided by the action of cams 108 and 110 engaged by the notches 50 of pattern jacks. These cams follow, respectively the fourth and second feeds. Selective rocking of the pattern jacks is effected by the stacked cams 112 and 114, preceded by the push-out cams 116 and 118, respectively. Cams 120 and 122 serve to lower the intermediate jacks which have been selectively raised, and with these jacks the selectively raised pattern jacks.

The selection of cams 112 and 114 is generally conventional. FIGURE 7 shows, in outline form, the selecting means such as is duplicated at the two selection points, FIGURE 7 illustrating the control of the cams 112. These cams 112 are provided on stacked levers 113 controlled by selectively arranged butts on elements carried by a trick wheel 115 which is stepped by a awl 117 acting on its ratchet 119, the powl being reciprocated by cams rotating in time with the needle cylinder. This type of selection is conventional but a few special remarks may be made concerning operation consistent with the invention.

First, for continuity of the pattern, the trick wheel butts and jack butts are desirably arranged as described in the patent to Houseman, No. 2,264,977, dated December 2, 1941. This arrangement, at each selection station, maintains the continuity of the pattern without breaks occasioned by stepping of the trick wheel thereat. In brief, this involves an arrangement of trick wheel butts so that when the trick wheel is stepped the action on needles then in progress of passing the selection point is unchanged while the same stepping prepared the trick wheel for a diiferent selection of needles which have not yet arrived at the selection point. Because of the provision of four feeds and two pattern selection positions, each trick wheel is given two steps, for each revolution of the cylinder, as by the action of a pair of two-lobed cams carried by the needle cylinder or sinker ring, or a suitable set of cams carried by a shaft rotating with the needle cylinder (though possibly at other than a 1:1 ratio therewith). If the selecting positions are 180 apart, the same cams may step both trick wheels simultaneously. If not, however, two sets of properly timed stepping cams may be provided. The attainment of the desired results will be readily obvious to those skilled in the art, and consequently details of control are not illustrated.

The control of stitch formation may now be described with particular reference to FIGURE 6. All pattern jacks have their lower ends rocked outwardly as they pass the push-out cam 116. They are thus presented for the selective operation of cams 112. Those jacks which are not engaged by any of cams 112 continue moving with their lower ends outward and accordingly engage the cam 108 to follow the path 124. In rising over cam 108 they move upwardly the corresponding intermediate jacks along butt path 128 and these in turn raise the corresponding needles to clear height as indicated at 132. Those pattern jacks which are pressed inwardly by any of the cams 112 follow the path 126 so that the corresponding intermediate jacks follow the low path 130 and the corresponding needles are not raised above the tuck level 134 to which all of the needles have been raised by the action of the cams at 98. The cleared needles following path 132 are lowered by cam 84 to join the needles at tuck level following the path 134, and all of the needles are depressed by stitch cam 76 to take yarn at the first feed 52. By this action tucking is effected on the needles following the low path 134, the newly seized yarn being drawn downwardly along with the previously seized yarn which remains in the needle hooks. Normal stitches, however, are drawn by the needles following the clear path 132.

All of the needles are then raised to tuck level at 136, and are cleared by the action of cam 100 to be depressed thereafter by cam 86 and stitch cam 78 to take yarn at the second feed and draw normal stitches. The selecting operations are repeated preceding the third feed in the same fashion as previously described, pattern jacks not engaged by any of the cams 114 rising at 140 over cam 110, while those which are pressed inwardly follow the path indicated at 142. The corresponding intermediate jacks follow the respective paths 144 and 146, and the corresponding needles are selectively cleared along the path 148 or remain at tuck level along path 150. Those which are cleared engage the cam 88 to be brought down to join those which move at tuck level, and all of the needles take yarn at the third feed in passing down cam 80. Thus, again, selective tuck and normal stitches are produced. All of the needles then rise over cams 96 to tuck level at 152, and rise over clearing cam 104 to the cleared level 154 for entry into the fourth feed whereat all needles are lowered by cams 90 and 82 to draw normal stitches.

The foregoing operations at each of the several feeds are essentially conventional and well-known in the art. The invention is concerned basically with the matter of selection of formation of special stitches in accordance with the discussion of fabrics heretofore presented and with the special choice of numbers of needles in the cylinder as previously described to provide pattern continuity. The description of the fabrics to be produced in accordance with the invention will, in itself, indicate to those skilled in the art how the butts on the pattern jacks and on the trick wheels are to be arranged for the specific pattern formations. There are many arrangements as to levels and locations of butts which may be used for any desired pattern and since this is arbitrary and within the skill of those accustomed to lay out the butt arrangements of pattern mechanisms it is unnecessary to show such an arrangement specifically herein.

As already pointed out, while the formation of tuck stitches has been chosen for purposes of illustration, the invention is broadly applicable to the formation of any other known types of special stitches, and it will be understood that where reference is particularly made to the formation of special stitches in a course, this is not to be construed as limiting the special stitches, so called, to a single course since various special stitch formations may involve two or even more courses. The principles with respect to continuity of pattern set forth herein, however, are fully applicable. It is evident that many variations may be made without departing from the invention as set forth in the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A knitted product having, in at least a rotary knit portion thereof, special stitch formations other than plain stitches to provide patterned four-feed fabric having the characteristics that (a) it has an uninterrupted repeat pattern extending completely around its circumference which has a repeat n wales wide and Zn courses long, 11 being at least 3, said pattern having throughout its circumference a walewise extent of a plurality of such repeats,

(b) in eachwale of a repeat there is only one of said special stitch formations,

(c) in each patterned course of a repeat there is only one of said special stitch formations, and (d) considering any chosen repeat, said fabric, has an identical repeat displaced fromthe chosen repeat by four courses in a walewise direction and spacedfrom the chosen repeat in a coursewise direction by a number of wales at least one but less than n,

said patterned fabric having a number of wales equal to an integral multiple ofn plus the last mentioned number of wales.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,501,353 3/1950 Page 66178 DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner. 

